“Exhale” was the first song by Sabrina Carpenter that I listened to. It was a song playing in a YouTube playlist that I had put on as background music but had me stopping whatever I was doing to go find the title of that song. Today, it is still one of my most beloved songs. In the April 2023 PopBuzz interview, Sabrina said, “I wrote this song when I just turned eighteen. I think that’s a scary time for anyone. You feel everything and feel so much heavier because you’re young and you’re experiencing it all for the first time, and there’s a lot of times where I feel like I’ve had impostor syndrome.” Exhale holds a catchy tune with a message that felt like a comforting hug I didn’t know I needed. I came across this song during my senior year of high school; the year of SAT, the college application process, and becoming an adult. During this stressful and difficult time, her lyrics conveyed my feelings and worries into words. Back then, I wanted nothing more than to exhale for a minute, sit down for a second, and just breathe. The same goes for many other songs she created in her music career. Sabrina’s ability to convey deep emotions through songs has attracted me and become the source of my admiration. It’s an indescribable and consoling feeling to know that there is someone out there who understands and empathizes with me. Beyond her music career, her philanthropic efforts also make her a worthy role model for me to look up to. Through her involvement in charity and advocacy for important causes, she sets the example of using one’s platform for good and that even a single individual can impact the world for the better. Sabrina inspires me both through her career and through the values she represents. Her works serve both as entertainment and encouragement to her listeners to embody resilience, compassion, and authenticity. As a fan, I learn from her words and actions and strive to make a positive impact on the world. Just as she had.

My very first encounter with sexual harassment happened when I was 14 years old. It involved my aunt who spoke little English, me who was still in middle school, and multiple unwanted sexual innuendos from two men who seemed to be in their mid-twenties. I had forgotten most of the comments that were made and I had forgotten whether those words were directed at my aunt or at me. She didn’t say anything after we got away and I never heard her bring it up again but to this day, I still remember my aunt's tight grip on my hand as she quickly dragged me away with her. My second encounter with sexual harassment happened when I was 17 years old. This time it was only me and the overly persistent, borderline-stalking, male customer who managed to show up every other day at my workplace. From asking when my shift ends to asking for my contacts and to staying late to confirm when I leave work; I didn’t know what was the best course of action then and could only fake a laugh each time at that man who looked old enough to be my dad. The fortunate part was that I had a manager who I could run to for cover and who’d call for the security to walk out with me. Yet, I know that while I was lucky to have someone to protect me in both the scenarios mentioned, there are women and girls out there who aren’t. The following summer, I co-founded the online nonprofit organization HerSafety, with the purpose of educating and spreading awareness on sexual harassment and abuse against women and young girls. Through researching tips on protecting oneself and sharing about nearby campaigns and parades that advocated for women, my co-founder and I created a community of hundreds of women who stand with us on the path of empowerment and standing for what we hold to be important. The organization is currently small with limited manpower, however with a commitment to collaborating with other organizations and experts who share the same desire, HerSafety can carry out its purpose to a wider audience. My pursuit in law is a continuation of HerSafety at a larger scale; to address the the ongoing issue of harassment and discrimination against women at a legal level. There is an average of 463,634 rape and sexual assault victims each year in the United States and of that, 91% of the victims are female. Over 1 in 3 women (35.6%) have experienced domestic violence, rape, and harassment by an intimate partner in the United States. In the workplace, 38% of women had reported sexual harassment with other studies suggesting that the statistics should be higher due to significant underreporting. Estimates indicate that 87% to 94% of victims do not file for claims, often out of fear of retaliation. Inside the courtroom, I will stand to defend to rights of these women and seek out justice together with them. Consequences will be carried out and stricter regulations will be relentlessly advocated. Outside the courtroom, my contribution will continue through the usage of legal channels and social media platforms where I hope to educate, help, and inspire women and young girls around the globe. I dedicate my service and pursuit to my aunt, my fellow women, and to a greater future.

“Live your life kindly.” Of all my mother’s lessons and lectures, that was her favorite phrase. Hold the door for the person behind you, be kind. Help the elderly out, be kind. Treat others well and live your life kindly and my mother raised me to embody that sentence into every action and word. She was gentle and dignified and I am proud to be her daughter. So I took her words and tried to live kindly, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I really never understood her words. How does one define what is truly “kind?” Cambridge Dictionary defines kindness as generosity, helpfulness, and thinking about other people’s feelings. So long as a person meets one of those three examples, they meet the criteria of being dubbed “kind” and when implemented into one’s everyday life, then they will be, as my mother calls it, “living their life kindly.” Volunteering and community services supposedly fall under one of those categories and I have done my fair share of them. I had given up hours in my day to volunteer in a food pantry that serves the homeless before and I spent my weekends helping and tutoring children at afterschool for free. However, my actions weren’t unadulterated and they stem from a different motive. I wanted community service hours and experiences to make my resume stand out and in exchange, I gave away my help. Is it kind if there was an ulterior motive involved? I concluded that, with ulterior motives or not, the person on the receiving end will most definitely find it beautiful regardless. One year ago back in my junior year of high school, I was on the line to enter the school, too preoccupied with studying my notes for a language test to be bothered by the ongoing drizzle of rain. I actually had my own umbrella that day, tucked in the side of my school bag, so it was really easy to reach. The rain wasn’t big and the entrance was close, I didn’t feel the need to block the rain but the girl behind me apparently thought otherwise. She had tapped on my shoulder and offered to share her umbrella; I didn’t know how to decline and say I had my own. She was really sweet about it and I was hopelessly touched, hence my words of refusal became a ‘thank you’ instead. I had wanted to repay her in some way so when I learned she was taking a chemistry class, a class I had already taken, I didn’t hesitate to rack my brain for any study tips I could give her. Only after saying goodbye did I realize I’d never got her name. Months later I was waiting for the bus on a similar rainy day, with a boy without an umbrella beside me. When I offered to share mine, it was as if the image of her helping me overlapped with me and the boy. Perhaps I made his day a little better, as she did to mine. So forget the volunteer work and my services to the community for hours, I want to tell you about the girl who had brightened my day and still had me thinking about her to this day. And that whenever I, like her, offered to share my umbrella with a stranger in the rain, it was nothing less of beautiful. This was what my mother meant by “living your life kindly.”